Trip to Brooklyn

All my Brooklyn friends should be proud of me for venturing into the heart of Brooklyn this week. We had to get Christina to LaGuardia airport in the morning, and were looking for places to hang out for the day before seeing "Elf" that night (a lot of fun, with several good moral messages). After looking around, we chose the Brooklyn Museum of Art, only about a half hour drive from the airport.  This is a beautiful museum, newly renovated and spacious. It has a great and large Egypt collection of artifacts, which have always fascinated me, since they are just about the oldest civilization in the world (thousands of years older than Israel, which is itself incredibly old). We spent an enjoyable 5 hours there without even seeing everything. And it is not half as crowded as any of the famous Manhattan museums.

Bible reading

Each year I read through the Bible on the church reading plan, along with all the notes and annotations of a different version.  I have been through the Dake's Bible, John Maxwell Leadership Bible, Message, Cottonpatch Bible,  and various other Bibles this way.  But the Archaeological Bible this past year was by far the best one I have read through.  I originally picked it up in preparation for the trip to Israel, but was enthralled by its history and description of places and customs.  It is really good, and has pictures of most of the famous places we saw.  If anyone wants to borrow it, let me know, it is that enriching.

On to the "Life Application Bible" this year.  Ask me in 12 months how it was.

God speaking

The other day I read Col 4:2-3, where Paul talks about God opening a door for him.  I felt God speak to me that He was going to open a new door for me and the church in the coming months to share the
Gospel.  Let's see what it is!

Haiti trip

2010 earthquake memorial  (over 25,000 buried here)

Beautiful Haitian orphans at orphanage

Food at Convoy of Hope warehouse-note the label

Last week I traveled with a group of 18 NJ ministers to Haiti. We were sponsored by the Convoy of Hope ministry, which does incredible relief and emergency work throughout the world . We visited schools, orphanages, a Bible school,  churches and a huge warehouse full of relief food and supplies.  The country has rebounded some from the 2010 earthquake, but still needs lots of help. We met many Christian and secular groups helping out. Most churches have grown dramatically since the quake. We took a team there in 2010 six months after the quake. Maybe we will go back!

Ken and Pastor Dort from Elizabeth

Power angels among us?

We finally got our power back on day 13 after the storm.   How it happened was unusual.

In church I asked who still did not have electricity in both services, and was surprised to find out that we were the only ones left powerless in the whole church (over 800 people present that Sunday).  Various people prayed for us after hearing this. Right after this a man came in from Pittsburgh who said he was working on lines in the area.  He asked if the church was fully on.  Someone directed him to my wife Louise.  She said "yes, but I wish someone would get our home back on- line."  He asked where we lived, and wrote it down.  He said he would get someone to work on it.

When church was over, I called home, and was shocked to find electricity was back on (the answering machine worked).

Could he have been an angel of power?

Election names

I read the other day about twins born on Election Day.  The parents named them Mitt Romney and Barack Obama (plus the last name)!

I feel sorry for these kids in a few years when they have to explain this.

Hurricane Sandy lament

Today is day 11 of our exile as refugees from Hurricane Sandy.  It is getting old, but several wonderful people have given us shelter.  Our power has not been on at all since the hurricane.  Some in my area had power for a few days and then lost it again after the surprise snow storm of 2 days ago (13 inches fell in Freehold, the highest amount in the noreaster) when many trees and more power lines fell.  We have been in 4 different locations since this started, since our house got pretty cold.  My wife was pretty sick when the storm started.  My cell phone did not work for the first several days usually.  But I think I missed the internet, email and news even more than heat and electric. On one call, the power company told us that our entire street was listed as having electricity (6 houses around us are powerless) when we were in the dark.

We had church in the dark last Sunday, which actually was kind of cozy and fun (as a one-time experience).  We got power back after 8 days and then lost it after the storm for a day.  And during this we lost water for 3 days as a bonus.  Today it is all back on.  I feel like a king in the office with power and water!

We go daily to our house to pick up clothes and other things and to feed our cat, who almost attacks us demanding food and affection ("where have you been?", she says).

I have joked that our goal is to be the last home in Manalapan holding out without power (they say only about 10% are left now).   But seriously, we would like to get power back soon.  This part of NJ is  a mess.

The storm

Yesterday morning I started to think about what the spiritual significance of Hurricane Sandy is.  Remember, every event in the physical realm is a manifestation of what is happening in the spiritual realm. So I asked God what this meant.  To my surprise, I got an instant answer as the Holy Spirit spoke to me.  In my mind I saw the weather map of the storm superimposed on the US map, with the storm stretching out to the Mississippi River. God said, "This storm is just a portent, a small shadowing of what will happen to America if there is not repentance. Everything will be shaken, and many things will be destroyed." I was also suddenly aware that the storm will hit the Bos-Wash corridor, the beginning of the nation and still its power center.  I became aware that this is hitting right before Election Day as a warning.

Regardless of what happens in the election, we need revival, or very dark times are ahead.

Vision

Recently I had a vision of the future of monmouth Worship Center.  I saw something/someone being raised up from this church that will have a major impact upon the nation.  It will start here.  This will happen after I am no longer leading the church.

Curious what/who it will be.

Unexpected questions of Jesus

As I have looked at the questions of Jesus, I am shocked by how frustrated he got with the disciples often.  Consider the following questions of Jesus-

"How much longer do I have to put up with you?"
"Could you not even pray with me for an hour?"
"Does this offend you?"
"Are you still sleeping?"
"Are you willing to suffer for me?"
"Why do you worry so much?"
"Why is it that you have so little faith?"

Though as a pastor I have felt like these sometimes, I won't be preaching on any of these!

A wedding to remember

Saturday I officiated at a wedding at a local catering facility.  After, I walked inside to a cocktail hour, where they had a buffet of great snacks before the dinner.  Their buffalo chicken with blue cheese sauce was the best I have ever tasted- incredible.  So I went back for seconds.  Then I saw 3 adult men with yamulkes. Looking around, I realized that none of the people were from the wedding seemed present.  Wondering, I walked over to a sign on the wall- "Welcome to Justin's bar-mitzvah"!  I had been unknowingly crashing a bar-mitvah.

The spiritual lesson-it is easy to find yourself in the wrong place.

But the bar-mitzvah had great food.

The opposite of faith

What is the opposite of faith?  I have always assumed it was unbelief.

But reading this morning in Habakkuk 2:4 (the famous verse which started the Reformation), I think another opposite is pride.  The verse says, "Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith."  Pride is really trusting in yourself, humility is having faith in another, such as God.  Pride and faith truly are opposites!

Must-see movie to see

Check out "2016- Obama's America."  The church was abuzz last Sunday with people talking about it, so I saw it this week.  I was there during dinner, and was surprised by the large crowd at it.  It is very thought-provoking.  The author/editor is Dinesh D'Souza, a fascinating Christian guy who I saw debate Peter Singer (the ungodly founder of the animal rights movement and supporter of euthanasia) at Princeton a few years ago.

Shooting in Manalapan

Saturday morning at 8:15pm  my phone rang with a call from my mother.  "Did you hear that a policeman was shot on Taylors Mills Road ?(my street) How close is that to you?"

Turns out that this was about a mile and a half away from us, on the other side of Route 9. It was a domestic dispute between a boyfriend (the cop) and an estranged husband.  Fortunately, the cop was OK, and was released the same day.

It's a jungle out there.

Chick-Fil-A

I have eaten at Chick (for short) several times when outside of the northeast (where they are rare).  The food is good!  And I heard the founder speak once at a Christian conference.  He is a great Christian man, and keeps his restaurants closed on Sunday, in spite of the pressure to make more money from secular sources.  His "controversial" comments supporting the traditional family were made in an interview with the Baptist Press.

What is so dangerous here is the government discriminating against businesses which do not toe the politically correct line.  The mayor of Chicago said that Chick does not reflect "Chicago values"! Are they taking this stand against Muslims also? Does this mean Orthodox Jews and Catholics are not welcome in Chicago either?  If we don't speak up against this, there will be much more discrimination towards us in the future.

Eat more chicken, not just this Wednesday, but in the future when you pass a Chick-Fil-A.

North Carolina missions trip

Thanks for praying for us this week, as we minister in NC.  We are at Master's Hand Christian Church in Raleigh, which our former assistant pastor Joe McCain started.   We will be doing evangelism of different forms, as well as vacation Bible school, a parenting seminar, and services every night.

Pray that God will lead us to hungry people, that we will minister in God's power, that we will be used in the gifts of the Spirit, and that we will have divine appointments with people.  Our goal is to strengthen and enlarge the church there.

Israel trip

Seventeen of us returned from a 10 day trip to Israel recently.  This is something everyone should do once in their life, it is an incredible spiritual experience. And, yes, it was totally safe!  You don't travel into the dangerous places, like the Gaza Strip.

People ask what the high points were.  To me, some of them were taking a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee (no one successfully walked on the water, sorry), seeing the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, dedicated to rebuilding the Jewish Temple (motto- "If we build it, He (the Messiah) will come") http://www.templeinstitute.org/),  climbing the tel at the Roman-era ruins of Beth Shean to see the 15th century BC Egyptian fort and hieroglyphics, praying at the Western wall,  and walking through the colorful Arab market in old Jerusalem.  I ate lots of hummus and salads (present at every meal, including breakfast).  We had a baptism renewal  in the Jordan River (10 feet from the nation of Jordan), renewed wedding vows at the church of Cana (where Jesus turned water to wine) and stayed on a kibbutz on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. We went  in 5 bodies of water- the Mediterranean in Tel Aviv, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea (you can't sink due to the high salinity), the Jordan River, and the hotel swimming pool!  We rode a camel and traveled into the Palestinian West Bank to visit Bethlehem.

We plan to do another church trip in maybe 3 years, depending upon the interest (let me know if you are interested in the next tour).  Some reasons why you should consider going-

1. It will bring the world of the Bible alive.  You can visualize the places where Jesus walked and taught, many are still there and unchanged. Someone said that studying the Bible without going to Israel is like learning about football without ever having seen a game or football field.

2. There is a unique sense of the presence of God in Israel.  Praying at the Western Wall is an incredible experience.  The Bible talks about Israel being the center of the world, from God's perspective  (sorry, it is not New York!).  His eye is always on this land.  You can feel this.

3. Israel is small, the same as New Jersey in size, shape and population.  It is easy to get around, everything is near. It will also help you to understand how vulnerable Israel is, surrounded by enemies dedicated to its total destruction.

4. The history of the world ends there.  We visited Armageddon.  Amazing.

5. If you like history, Israel has it.  14 major nations and empires passed through and controlled the land.  There are also significant and fascinating Roman ruins there, which I loved.

6. Israel is a mix of cultures, with Arabs, Druze, and Jews from all over the world living there.  It is a fascinating place culturally.

Roman aqueduct

Where Jesus lived

Caesarea- Acts 10

Western wall prayer

Solid gold lampstand, 8 feet tall

Arab quarter spices

Unhappy camel dumping Ken

 Sea of Galilee

Valley of David & Goliath

Everyone should go to Israel once.  A lot of people on our tour are excited to go back now!

Bringing back the Messiah

It is intriguing to me that the 3 major religions of the world all believe that the Messiah is returning, and that people can do something to cause him to return.  Orthodox Jews (at least some- check out http://www.templeinstitute.org/ in Jerusalem) believe that rebuilding the Temple will cause the Messiah to return.  Their motto is (like "Field of dreams") "If we build it, He will come"!  We visited them in Jerusalem, and they are preparing the temple furniture and equipment to bring back the Messiah.

Muslims believe that the 12th Imam, the Mahdi, will return to a world in chaos and set up a world-wide rule of Islam.  Many think that President Ahmadinejad of Iran wants to cause turmoil (such as a war or nuclear attack on Israel)  to accelerate the mahdi's return.

Christians believe that the Gospel must be preached to every ethnic group, and then the end will come (the words of Jesus- Matthew 24:14).  So we can be part of Jesus' return by sending and supporting missionaries.

All of us are looking for the Messiah to return.  As the world has more turnoil, this will become more prominent. Fascinating.

Going to Israel

We are off to Israel tomorrow.  I am really getting excited about this.  I have read 4 and a half tour books on Israel recently, and am full of stories and anecdotes to disgorge onto our group!  Seriously, every Christian should go there once.  It will give you new understanding into the world of Jesus, the Jewish people, and the Bible.  You can feel God's presence at the Western Wall, an amazing place spiritually. You will better understand past history, the middle east conflict, and the future (yes, we go to Armageddon).

Many people expressed a desire to go on this trip who could not for one reason or another.  We hope to do another church trip in a maybe three years, start saving.  I am also hoping to organize a trip for pastors in the nearer future.

Wallenda and eggplant

I saw Nick Wallenda cross Niagara Falls on tv.  No one seemed to noticethat he was constantly praying and asking God for help as he walked the wire.  I would too!  Obviously he is a Christian. But I wonder if a Christian should do this, is it testing God?  Several members of his famous family have been killed walking the wire.

On another note, I have 3 strong eggplant plants free to anyone who wants them!  I love eggplant parmesan, but how much eggplant can one eat?  I already put 3 plants in my garden.  By the way, we found a box turtle in there the other day.

Father's day

While studying for my father's day message, I was struck by how few good fathers there are in the Bible.  Most of the greats of the faith- David, Solomon, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Samuel, etc., were
failures as fathers, though they were great men of God.  The only really good father we hear much about is Joseph.  I  joked with my wife that I should preach a message "Great Fathers of the Bible", which would last for maybe 5 minutes.

We need an updated book on how to be a great dad.  Though it is the most important thing we men do, we have no training in it.

Dealing with anger

Last Saturday I spoke to about 35 men at our church men's breakfast on "Dealing with anger".   Ed Cole, the founder of the modern men's movement, says that anger, sex, and money are the 3 issues men struggle most with.  Judging from the many comments and reactions I got during and after the talk, this is more than true.  I highlighted my own struggle with anger, grazed over the things the Bible says on the topic (Proverbs is loaded on this topic), talked about the results of anger in our society and lives, and ended with some tips on how to deal with anger.  If you want to hear it, it will be posted on our church web site by Thursday.

Due to the groundswell of response on this, I will do a message or two on this in the future.

Without electricity

I learned Tuesday night that our life is more dependant on electricity than I thought.  At 8:40 pm our power went totally out.  I read the Bible by flashlight for a while, then prayed in the dark (to save electricity.)  I realized it is easy to fall asleep praying in the total dark when you are tired!  So I figured I would rest a little till the power came back on.  At about 10pm, the electricity came on - but only for 3 minutes.  After my computer closed down, I went back to sleep until 11:26pm, when the power finally was fully back on.  Then I read the day's emails and updates.                                  

Candles don't throw much light.  What did people do before electricity?

Manalapan prayer walk complete

I finished prayer-walking Manalapan recently.  This project involved praying over every home, office, business,  building, path and road in the town.  It started in July 2010, and involved about 600 miles of walking, praying and anointing everything of any significance!  I believe this will bear great spiritual resuts in the future.

Though I have lived here for 20 years, I learned a lot about the town.  The name "Manalapan" means "land of good bread", or "swamp with edible submerged roots (!)"  It was originally settled around a number of mills, which provided power before electricity (can you name 7 mills which are in current names around town?).  It has spectacular and obscure rural areas in the south below route 33.  There are 3 golf courses in town.  There are 12 houses of worship, of which 6 are Jewish synagogues. A major Revolutionary battle which helped the nation gain independence happened here.  And the section of Tennent near me was a center of the Great Awakening, during which millions of Americans came to Christ.

I believe the name Manalapan is prophetic,and pray that it will again be a place of spiritual bread which feeds people's spiritual hunger.

Next is Freehold Township, where I have already prayer-walked most of the town above Route 33.  Keep your eyes out, you may see me there from about 9:30-10:30 in the morning.

Inheritances

I have read through the book of Joshua many times, but never got very excited about the section on the Israelites dividing up the land as their inheritance (Joshua 17-19), until now.  I noticed that the land was divided by family/clan, and thought, "What is my family's inheritance?"  Many earthly families do have inheritances, whether it is a special gift, calling, business or spiritual anointing. For example, my family seems to have an inheritance of unusual memory (through my father's side) and also financial skills and blessing. But I am not looking for a piece of land as an inheritance!  But I asked God for a spiritual inheritance for my family, and think it was answered.  I have no idea what it is, but want to see it. It will be something we share together.

It is interesting that the leader Joshua came up last to request and receive his inheritance.  Leaders, can we ask God for a special inheritance?

What is your family's inheritance?  I encourage you to ask for one.

The ultimate Bible trivia question

Here is the ultimate Bible trivia test- where does the word "Bible" come from?

I am so much enjoying reading through the Archaeological Study Bible this year.  This Bible must weigh about 5 pounds, it has lot in it!  Every year I read through a different Bible and all the footnotes and articles, which helps me to see some verses differently, and also learn a lot from the notes.  I picked this Bible to prepare me for our June Israel trip, and have learned a ton about the history and archaeology of the mid-east through it.  But I never knew where the term "Bible" came from until the other day when I read it there.

The first person to answer this question right gets a free Christian book as a prize.  Impress me with your answer! The book is "The Power of a Praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian.

Malta

The sleeper hit of our trip was the island of Malta (population about 400,000). I knew almost nothing about this place, other than that it is a strategic island in the Mediterranean. But Paul went there unexpectedly in Acts 27:39-28:1-10 (he was shipwrecked as a prisoner on his way to Rome). The island below is the traditional spot where he landed, known as Saint Paul's bay.

Paul unexpectedly evangelized the island through 2 miracles, first of not being hurt through snakebite, and then through healing the father of the governor Publius. The church on the right marks the spot where Paul cured the father. From these experiences, the whole island was evangelized and became Christian, history tells us.

The lesson for us is that we too need the miraculous to reach our towns and area.

Southern Europe trip

Recently I went on a 10 day trip to southern Europe with 10 other Assemblies of God pastors and spouses. It was a highlight of my year, and rejuvenated me. We visited churches (current and old), pastors, missionaries, Bible schools, sights, etc., in 5 countries. It was a little like Amazing Race-8 flights, 10 days, 15,000 miles! I gave my testimony on the red box with Kevin Prevost in the center of Madrid, and preached in Abel Aureli's church south of Rome.

Southern Europe is so needy, it has not been evangelized since the days of the early church, and is functionally secular and post-Christian. Until recently, Catholicism persecuted evangelicals bady in these countries (ask me about the Mussolini-Pope pact in Italy). Very sad, even Italy is now mostly post-Christian (we were in Spain, Portugal,Italy, the Vatican and Malta (more on that in a separate post). Our host was area director Gil Rodriguez, one of our missionaries (see the right photo). It really gave us a burden to pray for him, his area needs revival.

Some things in the photos of interest-

-smart car- we saw a number of these, tiny, but easy to park and drive in small ancient streets.

-The Colosseum, a terrible place where countless Christians were martyred, but today a tourist attraction. The movie "Gladiator" has made this even more famous.

-The arch of Titus (not pictured), which shows the furniture of the Jewish temple being carted off in 72AD. This still stands, right near the Colosseum.

-The steps are the original steps where Luther crawled up on his knees to get merit with God, and to do penance. People still do this by the masses!! It was here he had his great revelation that "the just shall live by faith."

-St. Peter's Cathedral (the ornate dome in the photos) in the Vatican may be the world's most beautiful building, but its opulence caused the Reformation, as the Pope commissioned the selling of indulgences to pay for it.

An amazing spiritual trip, with spiritual leaders and fellowship.

Hillsong worship

Last week I was listening to Hillsong music on Youtube while working on my message (at least some of it- several songs were blocked by our new irrational internet filter, I guess they are questionable!). As I was listening, a thought wafted through my mind- "what if MWC could send out worship teams like Hillsong?" I said wow, this would be great, and assented spiritually to this.

Two days later at church Benilda Salvador told me that the vision of our youth worship team is to travel and minister all over like Hillsong.

Maybe God is in this. Let's see where this goes.

Dead Jesus

Recently I learned that my son Tim was drafted into acting in his church's Easter drama "Out of the Shadows". Check it out at www.lancastercma.org. He is dead Jesus (as opposed to living Jesus, or resurrected Jesus). Obviously he has few words, but can't gain much weight, or he will be difficult to carry away from the cross.

I reminded him that he got his start in his church acting career at Monmouth Worship Center as a disciple (I think Thaddeus) with one line! But I am proud of his "silent witness"!

Renewed youth

In worship about a month, we were singing a song- what song, I don't even remember. We got to a line from Psalm 103:5-"He renews your youth like an eagle." I felt the Holy Spirit immediately quicken me to ask for renewed youth. I asked for this! Since then I have felt unusually good and yes, young. I do feel very renewed.

Is it possible to go backwards in years?

Prophetic dream relating to youth

While I was away last week, I had an unusual prophetic dream (actually 2 together, but this was the first). I was on a high ladder at a local high school, cleaning leaves out of dirty gutters. Suddenly all the principals of the local high schools appeared, and stood under my ladder. As I cleaned out the gutters, I came to a gutter which had not been cleaned out for many years, and was stuffed with debris. I reached in, and pulled out an old plastic bag. The bag ripped, and much of its contents fell on the heads of the principals, as I pulled the ripped bag to me to see it. It was full of beautiful new shiny silver coins, the size of a large chocolate chip cookie.

Everyone was impressed with how beautiful the coins were- they were uncirculated, like proof coins. Students nearby started to gather them. I went down the ladder to pick up the rest of the coins, and admired one of them closely. It was a very beautiful coin.

When I woke up, the meaning was clear. Silver in the Bible is a symbol of redemption and salvation. I have been praying for the Gospel to spread among our local high schools. I saw salvation falling down from above on the principals, who represent the students and workers of our local schools.

Good things are ahead for our local youth.

Jaskology

I am so excited about this web page- www.jaskology.com! I guess it stands for the theology of a Jasko, and can't believe that I never thought of this word. My son Tim is now teaching a class in his church in PA on early church history. He reads voraciously, and is almost an expert on church history at this point. This web site is his companion and guide to the class. I am soooo proud of him!

Check it out.

Eternity in their hearts

A great verse is Ecclesiastes 3:11- "God has set eternity in their hearts". This means that every person knows intuitively that there is more to life than just this life. All of us- even the hardest atheist- long to live past this life, and to have a greater mark on the universe. God has put this knowledge and hunger there.

How does eternity in your heart show itself?

Spiritual experience

Last Saturday I had an unusual spiritual experience. I was on the phone at 5pm at the church office. Suddenly I felt something move in the heavenly realm in our favor. It was dramatic, as tangible as a weight being lifted off my physical body. I believe that either a new strong angel arrived in our area, a demonic power was removed, or something similar happened.

It will be exciting to see how this plays out!

Prophetic rodents?

Groundhog day always amazes me (in case you haven't heard, Phil says there is more winter in store for us). People are so hungry to see the future that they seek out a groundhog for a word of prophecy. Have you ever seen a groundhog up close? They are dumb and ugly. I have to remove several from my garden and yard every year.

Paul says that we can all prophesy. All of us can share the mind of God with others, and yes, sometimes even what will happen in the future, if we are open to God. People should seek us out more than groundhogs. We are in touch with the living and true God.

Bible Superbowl prediction

You may recall that I called the Superbowl within 1 point last year, based on scriptural references and inferences. I can't tell you the number of people who were amazed over my Bible-sports prophecy. One man in church was actually kind of in awe of me after. It was sort of scary.

Well, what does the Bible say for this year? (apart from the fact I am rooting hard for the Giants)

Giants were feared by the Israelites, and temporarily kept them out of the land (end zone?)due to unbelief. They looked strong and powerful until confronted. But ultimately the giants all were tackled and fell. They were evil. The bigger they were, the harder they fell (think about Goliath). They were finally fully exterminated. They were wiped out.

Another thought is found in 1 Samuel 2:12-"The sons of Eli were worthless men, they did not know the Lord." They were harshly judged by God. Surely this is also not good news for Eli Manning, the Giants' quarterback.

On the other hand, New England claims to be Patriots. But surely this is false advertising. New England is probably the least godly part of the country, having first legalized gay marriage, as well as slavery (just learned this Wednesday in the Black History class). It is easily the weakest area of the country for the Gospel. Churches are generally few, small, and weak up there. And Massachusetts ranks up there as among the worst in all this.

Tough prediction. Patriots by 3.

Today is...

Today is National Peanut Butter day.

I love pb. When I was a kid, we used to eat peanut butter on hot dogs (it is good). Now I love peanut butter chocolate ice cream.

What is your favorite peanut butter combo?

Vision of America

Saturday night at the prayer meeting for the nation, state, towns, I had a vision. Someone mentioned that the US had been a place of refuge for peoples from all over the world. At this I saw a light-up map of the US. Then I heard the voice of God saying, "No longer will America be a place of refuge, it is now under my judgment. People will flee and leave it, no longer will peoples come to it. But there will remain a few cities of refuge in it." I saw the light of the map go out, but a few lights on the map remained.

Not such good times ahead. None of the lights were in the northeast.